While everyone else is racing ahead to a trilogy match between Alabama and Clemson for the national title, NC State has quietly climbed its way into the ACC title race as the Tigers' toughest challenge in the Atlantic Division.
With wins over Florida State and Louisville, the Wolfpack have secured two of the three wins needed to lock up the tiebreakers in the division race. Clemson remains the favorite, but they'll have to come through Raleigh and win it on Nov. 4. That game has been circled since July as one that could impact the playoff picture because it's a tough spot for Clemson, but now it's looking like a Sweet 16 matchup and a play-in to the ACC Championship Game, which could be a play-in to the College Football Playoff.
Thursday night's 39-25 win against Louisville showed that NC State should be judged as the team that has beaten two of the top teams in the ACC, not one that should be overlooked because of its loss to South Carolina in the season opener.
Here's three things to know about the game:
1. NC State's offense is humming. Dave Doeren said after the game that he thought if Ryan Finley got protection, he would tear Louisville's secondary up. Finley finished 20-for-31 passing for 367 yards and a touchdown, and those stats fall short of describing an efficient and effective night for the Wolfpack quarterback. Kelvin Harmon and Jalyn Samuels headline the best wide receivers group NC State has had in years and Nyheim Hines (18 carries, 102 yards, two touchdowns) has been an all-purpose monster now transitioning into the team's top option at running back.
It all started up front for the Pack on Thursday, putting Louisville's defensive front on skates and providing a clean pocket for Finley to work. After seeing that group keep both Florida State and Louisville at bay, it's time to realize that Bradley Chubb and NC State's defensive line probably should share the headlines with the big uglies on the other side of the ball.
2. Lamar Jackson's hopes for a Heisman Trophy (trip) aren't dashed. Jackson won the Heisman Trophy last year despite losing to Houston and Kentucky in the final weeks of the season, thanks in part to his absurd statistical output. Jackson could still end up smashing offensive records and earning an invitation to New York City as a Heisman Trophy finalist, but his chances to become the first back-to-back winner since Archie Griffin are probably squashed with the season's second loss.
That doesn't mean Jackson wasn't great though. He had 427 yards of total offense with three scores, including an absurd grab by Seth Dawkins.
3. It's a great night for NC State's coaching staff: Dave Doeren didn't have an ACC win in his first season as coach and has finished below .500 in league play the last three seasons. Beating Florida State on the road was the best win of his NC State career, but Thursday night's win against the Cardinals might be the most impactful. It's the first time NC State has won a home game as a ranked team against a team since 1992. Chuck Amato and Tom O'Brien knocked off plenty of Top 25 foes in Carter-Finley Stadium, but Doeren is the first in a while to do it in a spot where NC State considered themselves to be on equal footing as the opponent.
Offensive coordinator Eli Drinkwitz also gets a great grade for this gameplan, and the defense did a great job of applying pressure to Jackson throughout the game. The thing that makes this season special for NC State isn't that they've knocked off a couple of ranked teams, it's that they're expected to keep this thing rolling and compete for a conference title.